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Note: It is a sequel to Gundam Seed, although it is still possible to understand this anime without watching it previously. It is, however, recommended that Gundam Seed be watched first.

Plot Summary: Cosmic Era 73. Though the signing of a peace treaty brought the war between the Naturals and Coordinators to an apparent close, tensions fueled by the continued threat of Blue Cosmos continue to run high. During a conference between PLANT chairman Gilbert Dullindal and Orb representative Cagalli Yula Athha concerning the threat of a new military arms race, an Alliance special forces team attacks the ZAFT base they're meeting at and makes off with three new Gundam mobile suits. Forced to pursue them, Shinn Asuka of ZAFT and Athrun Zala of Orb set out aboard the new space battleship Minerva, and engage the retreating Alliance strike team in combat. But just as they catch up to the fleeing ship, the crew of the Minerva receives word of an even greater catastrophe in the making, which will undoubtedly re-ignite the brutal war between the Naturals & Coordinators all over again.

Review:

Story:

Trainwreck, disgusting, unconventional, LOLWUT, boring, pathetic, somewhat interesting, all of these words can, and well, have been used to describe the plot of Gundam Seed Destiny. Many viewers have complained that GSD has ripped off major portions of Zeta Gundam, it's spiritual predecessor, as well as the original Gundam Seed for plot elements. While that is true, Gundam Seed Destiny does have unique plot elements that makes it interesting enough to watch. And due to the fact that Z Gundam is rather old, it can be safely said that most anime viewers will not remember how it goes and watch it with an open mind. Essentially, anyone can watch Gundam Seed Destiny with two different mindsets, as a Gundam fan, or just a casual anime viewer. If you are a Gundam fan, then GSD is godawful, no doubt about it. Gundam has long been associated with brilliant plots and deep character development and of course, revelations about war and how it affects people, while GSD, I have to say, lacks all of those. It's not that the plot is inherently bad, just that by Gundam's own high standards, it just doesn't make the cut. However, if you are a casual anime viewer, then GSD will be wonderful enough to watch, which is why it has achieved an almost cult-like status. The whole soap opera drama thing is a nice enough plot, and casual viewers just wouldn't nitpick every single detail and plothole like a hardcore Gundam fan would. Personally, GSD is the first anime that I have watched after a 3 year hiatus, and therefore, I viewed it as a normal viewer would. I was captivated by the action, annoyed by the rather obnoxious main character, and touched by all the sad scenes in it.
All in all, if you are expecting a "light" mecha show with no deep philosophical thoughts about war and all that, this would be pretty good. But I dunno, the amount of plotholes and the midway main character switch was just too painful, even for me, and for that, I have to reduce it's score.

Overall Score: 6/10

Art:

What can I say? Beautiful through and through. Most people don't know this, but Gundam Seed and Destiny were respectively the first and second Gundam shows to be drawn via computer rather than hand, which was a major change. That resulted in smoother animation, although the art is not for everyone. The mecha were drawn well though, and I have to say that the battles were just epic. But one major quirk anyone would have about the show, the overuse of stock footage. Stock footage, for all who doesn't know, is a screen that is used repeatedly. Like...the way a robot launches, or when it evades beams. Gundam Seed Destiny uses this by the bucketful, and it's pretty obvious to see, even if you are not a hardcore viewer.

Overall Rating: 8/10

Music:

I have to say that this is the best soundtrack from an anime that I have ever heard. Each and every song of the OST is done well and fits the theme. The last song, Wings of Words by Chemistry has often received some flak as one of the worst Gundam OPs of all time, but I have to say that it was actually pretty good, and I have heard a lot of songs in my lifetime.

Overall Rating: 10/10

Overall:

Okay, well, sure, GSD doesn't have the most amazing plot out there in the universe, in fact, it's pretty bad, it has more plotholes in it than Swiss cheese...yet those are rather minor. Although the quantity of the plotholes are rather large, unless you really pay attention to the show, no one is even gonna notice them. Bolstered with good art and music, the show will keep most interested, and might even turn them into a Gundam fan. Although as a note: GSD is not Gundam, and Gundam is not GSD. Teenage love drama is not what the Gundam franchise is about, just putting that out there.